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62-682: The original six buildings occupy a downtown block facing the Halifax waterfront bounded by Upper Water Street, Duke Street, Hollis Street and the Cogswell Interchange . Along with the adjacent waterfront buildings of Historic Properties and the Victorian commercial buildings of the Granville Mall , the site is one of the only intact blocks of 19th-century buildings in Downtown Halifax. It includes

124-543: A circular economy . Draft versions of LEED v5 were released for public comment in 2024, and the final version of LEED v5 is expected to appear in 2025. It may address some of the previous criticisms. Despite concerns, LEED has been described as a "transformative force in the design and construction industry". LEED is credited with providing a framework for green building, expanding the use of green practices and products in buildings, encouraging sustainable forestry, and helping professionals to consider buildings in terms of

186-520: A green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings , homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently. As of 2023 there were over 105,000 LEED-certified buildings and over 205,000 LEED-accredited professionals in 185 countries worldwide. In

248-539: A Canadian provider organization and a green rater. The provider organization helps the project through the process while overseeing the green raters, individuals who conduct two mandatory site inspections: the thermal bypass inspection and the final inspection. The provider and rater assist in the certification process but do not themselves certify the project. In addition to certifying projects pursuing LEED, USGBC's Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) offers various accreditations to people who demonstrate knowledge of

310-494: A LEED-certified building 20 miles (32 km) away in the suburb of Lenexa, Kansas . Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated that the carbon emissions associated with the additional miles driven were almost three times higher than before, a change from 0.39 metric tons per person per month to 1.08 metric tons of carbon dioxide per person per month. Speck writes that "The carbon saved by

372-466: A building. Critics such as David Owen and Jeff Speck also point out that LEED certification focuses on the building itself, and does not take into account factors such as the location in which the building stands, or how employee commutes may be affected by a relocation. In Green Metropolis (2009), Owen discusses an environmentally-friendly building in San Bruno, California , built by Gap Inc. , which

434-428: A comparison with emphasis on factors that heavily influence energy consumption. The number of points achieved in this credit is proportional to the predicted energy savings. This method has been criticized for inaccurately predicting actual energy usage. The USGBC admits that "current information indicates that most buildings do not perform as well as design metrics indicate. As a result, building owners might not obtain

496-477: A minimum of $ 2,900 to over $ 1 million for a large project. "Soft" costs – i.e., added costs to the building project to qualify for LEED certification – may range from 1% to 6% of the total project cost. The average cost increase was about 2%, or an extra $ 3–$ 5 per square foot. The application review and certification process is conducted through LEED Online, USGBC's web-based service. The GBCI also utilizes LEED Online to conduct their reviews. Applicants have

558-432: A number of goals: On September 20, 2016, the municipal government voted to hire a company to develop a plan for the interchange's removal and replacement by a more appropriate road network with the design work being carried out by WSP Group and several design consultants. In February 2019, council approved the 90 per cent design plan and directed city staff to proceed with a tender for the demolition and redevelopment of

620-546: A study recommending a conceptual precursor to "Harbour Drive", a proposed elevated freeway running parallel to the water, similar to the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto . A.D. Margison & Associates, successor to the firm which designed the Gardiner Expressway decades earlier, was hired by the city in 1967 to formally design the new highway and interchange. Opposition to the plan began to mount, led by

682-569: A weekend in August 2014. An opening ceremony for the new building was held on 11 September 2014. The building achieved LEED Gold certification in February 2016. 44°39′7.75″N 63°34′27.57″W  /  44.6521528°N 63.5743250°W  / 44.6521528; -63.5743250 Cogswell Interchange 44°39′06″N 63°34′35″W  /  44.651742°N 63.576474°W  / 44.651742; -63.576474 The Cogswell Interchange

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744-443: A weighted average for each rating scheme based upon actual impacts and the relative importance of those impacts to human health and environmental quality. The LEED council also appears to have assigned credit and measured weighting based upon the market implications of point allocation. From 2010, buildings can use carbon offsets to achieve green power credits for LEED-NC (new construction certification). For LEED BD+C v4 credit,

806-577: A wider range of temperatures. On April 2, 2019, the USGBC released LEED v4.1, a new version of the LEED green building program, designed for use with cities, communities and homes. However, LEED v4.1 was never officially balloted. An update to v4, proposed as of November 22, 2022, took effect on March 1, 2024. Any projects that register under LEED v4 after March 1, 2024 must meet these updated guidelines. As of January 2023, USGBC began to develop LEED v5. LEED v5

868-471: Is a design tool rather than a performance-measurement tool and has tended to focus on energy modeling rather than actual energy consumption. It has been criticized for a point system that can lead to inappropriate design choices and the prioritization of LEED certification points over actual energy conservation; for lacking climate specificity; for not sufficiently addressing issues of climate change and extreme weather; and for not incorporating principles of

930-556: Is a model supported by CAGBC and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) for the verification of proposed retrofit projects. LEED certification is granted by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), which arranges third-party verification of a project's compliance with the LEED requirements. The certification process for design teams consists of the design application, under the purview of

992-487: Is the first version of the LEED rating system to be based on the June 2022 Future of LEED principles. The LEED v5 rating system will cover both new construction and existing buildings. An initial draft version was discussed at Greenbuild 2023. The beta draft of LEED v5 was released for an initial period of public comment on April 3, 2024. Changes were made in response to nearly 6,000 comments. A second public comment period

1054-648: The Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) received permission to create LEED Canada-NC v1.0, which was based upon LEED-NC 2.0. As of 2021, Canada ranked second in the world (not including the USA) in its number of LEED-certified projects and square feet of space. Buildings in Canada such as Winnipeg's Canadian Museum for Human Rights are LEED certified due to practices including the use of rainwater harvesting , green roofs, and natural lighting. As of March 18, 2022,

1116-557: The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia , say that Halifax is losing its small and dwindling number of heritage buildings which are a resource for culture and tourism. Supporters like the Downtown Halifax Business Commission say that developers should be given a free rein to promote economic activity. The debate also led Nova Scotia's Conservative Premier Rodney MacDonald to intervene in the city's politics in support of

1178-988: The International Building Code , only members of the USGBC and specific "in-house" committees may add to, subtract from, or edit the standard, subject to an internal review process. Proposals to modify the LEED standards are offered and publicly reviewed by USGBC's member organizations, of which there were 4551 as of October 2023. LEED has evolved since 1998 to more accurately represent and incorporate emerging green building technologies. LEED has developed building programs specific to new construction (NC), core and shell (CS), commercial interiors (CI), existing buildings (EB), neighborhood development (ND), homes (LEED for Homes), retail, schools, and healthcare. The pilot version, LEED New Construction (NC) v1.0, led to LEED NCv2.0, LEED NCv2.2 in 2005, LEED 2009 ( a.k.a. LEED v3) in 2009, and LEED v4 in November ;2013. LEED 2009

1240-474: The Nova Scotia Association of Architects with Allan F. Duffus at the helm. Many architects, engineers and planners spoke out against the destruction of the historic urban core and stated that it was not too late to build "simpler roads," which would require less demolition. Duffus produced an alternate plan, which A.D. Margison & Associates said would "overload the streets with traffic by 1970" and

1302-461: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's (EPA) Labs21 and LEED Canada. The Australian Green Star is based on both LEED and the UK's Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology ( BREEAM ). LEED 2009 encompasses ten rating systems for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under

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1364-485: The Canada Green Building Council took over direct oversight for LEED™ green building certification of projects in Canada, formerly done by GBCI Canada. CAGBC will continue to work with Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and USGBC while consolidating certification and credentialing for CAGBC's Zero Carbon Building Standards, LEED, TRUE, and Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (IREE). IREE

1426-543: The Central Redevelopment Area, an area of several city blocks worth of older wood-framed buildings. This eventually became Scotia Square , a complex of office, residential and hotel towers atop parking garages and a shopping mall. The developers of Scotia Square, a project of a scale hitherto unattempted in the Maritimes, stressed the importance of improved transport infrastructure to the complex and commissioned

1488-665: The EPA's Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) and the environmental-impact weighting scheme developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Prior to LEED 2009 evaluation and certification, a building must comply with minimum requirements including environmental laws and regulations, occupancy scenarios, building permanence and pre-rating completion, site boundaries and area-to-site ratios. Its owner must share data on

1550-461: The IEQ category addresses thermal , visual, and acoustic comfort as well as indoor air quality . Laboratory and field research have directly linked occupants' satisfaction and performance to the building's thermal conditions. Energy reduction goals can be supported while improving thermal satisfaction. For example, providing occupants control over the thermostat or operable windows allows for comfort across

1612-550: The LEED Pilot Committee from 1996–2001. Scot Horst chaired the LEED Steering Committee beginning in 2005 and was deeply involved in the development of LEED 2009. Joel Ann Todd took over as chair of the steering committee from 2009 to 2013, working to develop LEED v4, and introducing social equity credits. Other steering committee chairs include Chris Schaffner (2019) and Jennifer Sanguinetti (2020). Chairs of

1674-823: The LEED professional program. That suite consists of: LEED v3 aligned credits across all LEED rating systems, weighted by environmental priority. It reflects a continuous development process, with a revised third-party certification program and online resources. Under LEED 2009, an evaluated project scores points to a possible maximum of 100 across six categories: sustainable sites (SS), water efficiency (WE), energy and atmosphere (EA), materials and resources (MR), indoor environment quality (IEQ) and design innovation (INNO). Each of these categories also includes mandatory requirements, which receive no points. Up to 10 additional points may be earned: 4 for regional priority credits and 6 for innovation in design. Additional performance categories for residences (LEED for Homes) recognize

1736-449: The LEED rating system, including LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), LEED Green Associate, and LEED Fellow. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) describes its LEED professional accreditation as "demonstrat[ing] current knowledge of green building technologies, best practices" and the LEED rating system, to assure the holder's competency as one of "the most qualified, educated, and influential green building professionals in

1798-879: The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green certification program was Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) senior scientist Robert K. Watson . It was Watson, sometimes referred to as the "Founding Father of LEED", who created the acronym. Over two decades, Watson led a broad-based consensus process, bringing together non-profit organizations, government agencies, architects, engineers, developers, builders, product manufacturers and other industry leaders. The original planning group consisted of Watson, Mike Italiano, architect Bill Reed (founding LEED Technical Committee co-chair 1994–2003), architect Sandy Mendler, builder Gerard Heiber and engineer Richard Bourne. Tom Paladino and Lynne Barker (formerly King) co-chaired

1860-837: The US, the District of Columbia consistently leads in LEED-certified square footage per capita, followed in 2022 by the top-ranking states of Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland. Outside the United States, the top-ranking countries for 2022 were Mainland China, India, Canada, Brazil, and Sweden. LEED Canada has developed a separate rating system adapted to the Canadian climate and regulations. Many U.S. federal agencies, state and local governments require or reward LEED certification. As of 2022 , based on certified square feet per capita,

1922-566: The USGBC's Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group for LEED technology have included Gregory Kats . The LEED initiative has been strongly supported by the USGBC Board of Directors, including Chair of the Board of Directors Steven Winter (1999–2003). The current chair of the Board of Directors is Anyeley Hallová (2023). LEED has grown from one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of interrelated standards covering aspects from

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1984-466: The application of LEED guidelines in several southern states. In 2013, the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi effectively banned the use of LEED in new public buildings, in favor of other industry standards that the USGBC considers too lax. LEED is considered a target of a type of disinformation attack known as astroturfing , involving "fake grassroots organizations usually sponsored by large corporations". Unlike model building codes, such as

2046-401: The architect and the engineer and documented in the official construction drawings, and the construction application, under the purview of the building contractor and documented during the construction and commissioning of the building. A fee is required to register the building, and to submit the design and construction applications. Total fees are assessed based on building area, ranging from

2108-484: The benefits promised." The LEED for Homes rating system was first piloted in 2005. It has been available in countries including the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and India. LEED for Homes projects are low-rise residential . The process of the LEED for Homes rating system differs significantly from the LEED rating system for new construction. Unlike LEED, LEED for Homes requires an on-site inspection. LEED for Homes projects are required to work with either an American or

2170-502: The building industry to support green building and develop a green building rating system. Also influential early on was architect Bob Berkebile. Fedrizzi served as the volunteer founding chair of USGBC from 1993 to 2004, and became its CEO as of 2004. As of November 4, 2016, he was succeeded as president and CEO of USGBC by Mahesh Ramanujam. Ramanujam served as CEO until 2021. Peter Templeton became interim president and CEO of USGBC as of November 1, 2021. A key player in developing

2232-571: The building's energy and water use for five years after occupancy (for new construction) or date of certification (for existing buildings). The credit weighting process has the following steps: First, a collection of reference buildings are assessed to estimate the environmental impacts of similar buildings. NIST weightings are then applied to judge the relative importance of these impacts in each category. Data regarding actual impacts on environmental and human health are then used to assign points to individual categories and measures. This system results in

2294-430: The certification points), quality of life (25%) and conservation and ecological restoration (25%) in terms of five principles: decarbonization, ecosystems, equity, health and resilience. One of the reponses to public comments was to emphasize a data-driven approach to Operations and Maintenance by more clearly identifying performance-based credits (80% of points) and decoupling them from strategic credits (20%). In 2003,

2356-399: The commencement of the redevelopment project, hosted by Mayor Mike Savage, was held on 2 November 2021. The municipality and the province share responsibility for maintenance of the bridge spans. The municipality is responsible for the road surfaces and the retaining walls. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ) is

2418-604: The decades since construction, the interchange became a much-maligned feature of downtown Halifax. It was considered excessively large and pedestrian unfriendly. It separated downtown from the North End and the waterfront from the uphill areas. Over the years there were several proposals for its demolition. The most current, the Cogswell Interchange Lands Plan, is being implemented. The plan aims to offer quality urban design and promote economic development through

2480-563: The design and construction to the maintenance and operation of buildings. LEED has also grown from six committee volunteers to an organization of 122,626 volunteers, professionals and staff. As of 2023 , more than 185,000 LEED projects representing over 28 billion square feet (2.6 × 10 ^  m ) have been proposed worldwide, and more than 105,000 projects representing over 12 billion square feet (1.1 × 10 ^  m ) have been certified in 185 countries. However, lumber, chemical and plastics trade groups have lobbied to weaken

2542-557: The development and demolition. Almost all of the presenters at public hearings in September 2008 opposed the project, including officials in the province's tourism industry. A signature with over 690 names opposing the development was presented to Halifax City Council in October 2008 Possible solutions have been suggested include a land swap or a compromise development but to date all have been rejected by Armour Group except for an offer to reduce

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2604-458: The example of debating whether to add a reflective roof, used to can counter "heat island" effects in urban areas, to a building high in the Rocky Mountains. A 2012 USA Today review of 7,100 LEED-certified commercial buildings found that designers tended to choose easier points such as using recycled materials, rather than more challenging ones that could increase the energy efficiency of

2666-487: The ground level, in order to house their Atlantic Canada regional headquarters and flagship downtown branch, both relocated from their current premises on George Street. Royal Bank held a competition open to students and recent graduates of the adjacent Nova Scotia College of Art and Design seeking a "signature artwork" for the development. RBC moved to the Waterside Centre from their old George Street location over

2728-401: The importance of transportation access, open space, and outdoor physical activity, and the need for buildings and settlements to educate occupants. Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification: The aim of LEED 2009 is to allocate points "based on the potential environmental impacts and human benefits of each credit". These are weighed using the environmental impact categories of

2790-406: The interchange became functionally obsolete and increasingly expensive to maintain, the municipal government decided to demolish the interchange and replace it with a more conventional street grid. Halifax Regional Council unanimously approved the 90 per cent design construction plan in February 2019 and directed staff to tender demolition and construction contracts for the redevelopment. Work began on

2852-586: The leading five states (after the District of Columbia ) were Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland. Incentives can include tax credits, zoning allowances, reduced fees, and expedited permitting. Offices, healthcare-, and education-related buildings are the most frequent LEED-certified buildings in the US (over 60%), followed by warehouses, distribution centers, retail projects and multifamily dwellings (another 20%). Studies have found that for-rent LEED office spaces generally have higher rents and occupancy rates and lower capitalization rates. LEED

2914-440: The marketplace." Critics of LEED certification such as Auden Schendler and Randy Udall have pointed out that the process is slow, complicated, and expensive. In 2005, they published an article titled "LEED is Broken; Let's Fix It", in which they argued that the certification process "makes green building more difficult than it needs to be" and called for changes "to make LEED easier to use and more popular" to better accelerate

2976-459: The office tower by two stories if given large property tax breaks. The heritage buildings on the block were saved from demolition in the 1970s when heritage advocates stropped a planned Harbourfront expressway promoted by city traffic engineers and developers which would have demolished all older buildings on the waterfront. The move was seen as key to reviving the Halifax waterfront and Halifax's downtown tourism. Heritage proponents have argued that

3038-628: The oldest remaining commercial building in Halifax, the 1861 Fishwick & Company Building, the 1926 Imperial Oil Building as well as the 1840 Sweet Basil Building , the last wooden "sailortown" building on Halifax's Water Street. The only building on the historic block not facing demolition by Armour group is the Morse’s Tea Building owned by another developer who has converted the 1841 structure for office use and retained its interior and exterior structure. The proposed development has split municipal politicians in Halifax. Those opposed, such as

3100-440: The oldest storefront in Halifax and the site of the famous 18th-century tavern “The Great Pontack” , where James Wolfe planned the siege of Louisbourg and Quebec. The buildings have housed commercial and retail tenants, but Armour group has said that the buildings are no longer economical and their replacements by facades should be seen as restoration. The buildings on the block include the 1820 Harrington MacDonald-Briggs Building

3162-425: The option of achieving credit points by building energy models. One model represents the building as designed, and a second model represents a baseline building in the same location, with the same geometry and occupancy. Depending on location (climate) and building size, the standard provides requirements for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system type, and wall and window definitions. This allows for

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3224-665: The pending demolition underscores Halifax's weak heritage laws. Unlike most older North American cities, Halifax has no heritage districts preserving blocks of heritage buildings but only has individual building designation which may easily be overturned by developers seeking demolition. The development was rejected by the council of Halifax Regional Municipality in a tie vote on October 21, 2008. The head of Armour Group, Ben McCrea, initially said he would not appeal as it would create bad publicity. However Doug MacIsaac of Armour Group announced on October 31 that his company would appeal council's decision to Nova Scotia’s Utility and Review Board,

3286-488: The project in March 2022 and the newly renamed Cogswell District is scheduled to be open to the public by late 2025. The city began purchasing land and demolishing buildings in the 1950s in anticipation of the highway construction. In the 1960s, urban renewal planning was underway all over North America and Europe, and Halifax was no exception. In 1962, the city placed advertisements in newspapers seeking development proposals for

3348-406: The same day as his company began demolition of the first of the six buildings, the former Sweet Basil restaurant . The Board overturned Halifax council's decision on March 26, 2009, and Halifax council voted on April 7 not to appeal the Board's decision. The development was substantially completed by early 2014. The Royal Bank of Canada committed to occupying four floors of the building, including

3410-495: The site. As of September 2021, the tender to construct the new district was awarded. Demolition and subsequent construction began in 2022, and the project is expected to be complete in 2025. During the deconstruction, there will be approximately 16 acres (6.5 ha) of roadway removed and reverted to either built-up area or parkland. The total area of the site is about 98,407 m (1,059,240 sq ft), or approximately 9.8407 ha (24.317 acres). A ceremony marking

3472-431: The transition to green building. Schendler and Udall also identified a pattern which they call "LEED brain", in which participants may become focused on "point mongering" and pick and choose design elements that don't actually go well together or don't fit local conditions, to gain points. The public relations value of LEED certification begins to drive the development of buildings rather than focusing on design. They give

3534-468: The well-being of their occupants and as part of larger systems. In April 1993, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was founded by Rick Fedrizzi , the head of environmental marketing at Carrier, real estate developer David Gottfried , and environmental lawyer Michael Italiano. Representatives from 60 firms and nonprofits met at the American Institute of Architects to discuss organizing within

3596-495: Was a multi-level highway interchange in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia , Canada . It was built as the first stage of a greater scheme for an elevated freeway, called Harbour Drive, that would have demolished much of the downtown area. The plan was halted in the face of opposition, but the Cogswell Interchange remained a visible reminder, occupying a large amount of prime land and posing a barrier to pedestrian movement. As

3658-434: Was depreciated for new projects registered from October 31, 2016. LEED v4.1 was released on April 2, 2019. Draft versions of LEED v5 have been released and revised in response to public comment during 2024. The official final version of LEED v5 is expected to be released in 2025. Future updates to the standard are planned to occur every five years. LEED forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as

3720-643: Was located 16 miles (26 km) from the company's corporate headquarters in downtown San Francisco , and 15 miles (24 km) from Gap's corporate campus in Mission Bay . Although the company added shuttle buses between buildings, "no bus is as green as an elevator". Similarly, in Walkable City (2013), Jeff Speck describes the relocation of the Environmental Protection Agency ' s Region 7 Headquarters from downtown Kansas City, Missouri , to

3782-433: Was opened for the revised version, from September 27 to October 28, 2024. The official release of the final version of LEED v5 is expected to occur in 2025. Future updates of the certification system are planned to occur every five years. LEED v5 reorganizes the credits system and prerequisites, and has a greater focus on decarbonization of buildings. The scorecard expresses three global goals of climate action (worth 50% of

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3844-425: Was rejected by city council, which feared that any changes to the interchange plan would jeopardise tenancy agreements made with respect to Scotia Square. After demolition of the remaining buildings on the site, construction of the interchange began in 1969. It opened in 1970, the same year the municipal government recanted and cancelled construction of the remainder of Harbour Drive. It then cost $ 5.8 million. In

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